From: Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC <pmarc2008@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 26, 2010 at 9:51 AM
Subject: [PMARC] Dalits Media Watch - News Updates 26.03.10
To: Dalits Media Watch <PMARC@dgroups.org>
Dalits Media Watch
News Updates 26.03.10
A temple where upper castes bow to Dalits - The Times Of India
UP has highest number of BPL families - The Times Of India
Nothing controversial in circular: Bihar govt - Zee News
http://www.zeenews.com/news614068.html
The Times Of India
A temple where upper castes bow to Dalits
IANS, Mar 25, 2010, 10.40am IST
LUCKNOW: Stories of socially marginalised people not being allowed into places of worship are common in India. In such a scenario, a Dalit family presiding over an Uttar Pradesh temple for ages is nothing short of exemplary.
It's only Dalits who have been priests of the Kali Mata temple, dedicated to goddess Durga, in Lakhna town in Etawah, some 300 km from Lucknow, ever since the shrine came up around 200 years ago.
"Caste divisions and discrimination may not have given Dalits a place of respectability in society, but here as priests they are revered," Ram Dular Rajbhar, who owns a grocery store in the town, said on phone.
"Be it Brahmins, Thakurs or people from any of the other higher castes, after coming inside the temple, all have to bow before the Dalit priests and touch their feet. For others it may be surprising, but it has become a custom for us," he added.
Situated along the banks of the Yamuna river, the temple is sought after by the residents of Lakhna town for holding marriages, 'mundan' (tonsure ceremony of Hindu children) or other rituals particularly performed by Brahmins or members of the upper caste.
"It's not just a temple. It's a place that is an example of social equality," said Umesh Dixit, who owns several garment shops in Lakhna town.
"People in Lakhna also approach the priests to name their babies as it is believed that names given by Dalit priests would bring good luck and prosperity to the children and their families," he added.
According to locals, there's a story behind the custom of Dalit priests. They say King Jaipal Singh, who got the temple constructed, made it mandatory that the priest of the temple would only be a Dalit.
"While the construction of the temple was under way, Jaipal Singh noticed a Dalit labourer, Chhotelal, was being assaulted by a group of upper caste people for touching the idol that was to be placed inside the temple," said another resident Ram Raksha Pandey, who owns an eating joint in Lakhna.
"Jaipalji soon intervened in the matter and said only Chhotelal and his family would be taking care of the temple after its construction. Since then, the practice has been alive," he added.
At present two brothers, Ashok Kumar, 43, and Akhilesh Kumar, 45, who are fourth generation descendants of Chhotelal are the priests at the temple.
The Times Of India
UP has highest number of BPL families
Swati Mathur, TNN, Mar 26, 2010, 03.03am IST
LUCKNOW: Here's Uttar Pradesh scaling new highs, or rather touching new lows. The state has emerged as a clear first, reporting the highest number of families living below the poverty line (BPL) in the country. While the current BPL numbers in the state are pegged at 5.60 crore, UP has also performed poorly on human development indicators, which include life expectancy at birth, infant mortality, birth and death rates.
Interestingly, according to a report released by the state, over 60% of these BPL families belong to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Castes.
In the human development assessment of 15 major states in the country in the latest Economic Survey 2009-10, UP stands 11th for low life expectancy levels at the time of birth. While the national average is 63.5 years, in UP, the average life expectancy is 60 years. The state's performance is equally poor when it comes to infant mortality, birth and death rates. While the state ranks third on the national index for infant mortality rates (at 69/1000 live births), it is still significantly above the national average of 55 infant deaths for every 1000 live births, ranking lower than Madhya Pradesh and Orissa at 72 and 71 respectively.
If the prospects of 'life' in UP look bleak, here's an even more interesting piece of statistics. Of the 15 states evaluated, UP records the highest birth rate — at 29.1 levels — once again, significantly higher than the national average of 22.8. In contrast, the rate of deaths in the state is 8.4, ranking fourth behind Orissa, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
Though these figures may be regarded as merely indicative in nature, closer home, the situation is even poorer. Of the total number of BPL families living in UP, the highest are located in Unnao, just 30 kilometres away from the state capital.
Over three lakh such families have access to less than one square meal per day for a major part of the year. If finding food is difficult, the living conditions are no less squalid. Whether it is sanitation levels, clothes to wear or access to homes in the state, the extent of poverty is clearly appalling.
According to a recent data released by the Union ministry of rural development, UP's Jaunpur district is the worst affected in terms of food security for its BPL population as also in the case of sanitation levels in the area. And this, despite the so called 'concerted' efforts by the state government to improve the lot of the poor in the state, especially the Dalits and marginalised.
Zee News
Nothing controversial in circular: Bihar govt
http://www.zeenews.com/news614068.html
Muzaffarpur: Bihar government on Thursday termed as "misleading and concocted" media reports about a circular making it mandatory for students appearing in annual exams in the state-run schools to mention their caste category in their answer sheets.
"We have asked the students for specifying the social category such as General, SC, ST, EBCs in their papers and the report about mentioning their castes in the answer sheets is misleading and concocted because of lack of knowledge", Bihar Education Project (BEP) Director Rajesh Bhushan told a news agency in Patna.
There is nothing controversial in the circular, he said.
The circular, issued by BEP officials in Muzaffarpur district, said it would be useful to tabulate the percentage of students belonging to a particular social category for an "honest assessment".
The circular was issued by BEP Programme coordinator-cum-District Education Superintendent Arun Kumar and Primary Informal Education Coordinator Shankar Kumar through letter no. BEP/247 dated March 11, 2010 for students from class 1 to 8 appearing for their annual examinations in state-run primary and high schools.
"This practice is going on since 2001," Bhushan clarified. PT
DNA
BSP shows people Sonia Gandhi's money garland
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_bsp-shows-people-sonia-gandhi-s-money-garland_1363338
Deepak Gidwani / DNA
Last updated: Thursday, March 25, 2010 23:50 IST
Lucknow: The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in Uttar Pradesh (UP) seemed to have put aside all administrative works on Thursday. For, BSP workers were busy distributing Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's photographs showing her wearing a garland of currency notes at a public function.
Brazenly carrying forward its counter-attack after a controversy erupted over UP chief minister Mayawati's money garlands, an unapologetic BSP also distributed photographs of senior BJP leader LK Advani wearing crowns at various party rallies.This was part of a purdah-faash (expose) campaign to counter BJP and Congress, who were critical of the pomp and show at the BSP rally on March 15.
The Congress was quick to claim that the photo showing Sonia with money garland was fake.
UP PWD minister and BSP general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui distributed Sonia's photographs showing her wearing a garland of thousand-rupee notes at her Delhi residence. He said the garland was presented to her by Balmiki Dalits. "When leaders of other parties wear crowns and garlands of bank notes, no one raises a finger, but when a Dalit's daughter does it, everyone has a problem," he remarked.
Congress termed the BSP offensive "shameful". UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters that the BSP was resorting to "disgraceful tactics" to score political points. .
Congress termed the BSP offensive "shameful". UP Congress chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters that the BSP was resorting to "disgraceful tactics" to score political points. .
UP BJP president Ramapati Ram Tripathi lashed out at the BSP for distributing photographs of LK Advani wearing a crown. "Party workers honour Advaniji on various occasions, but our leaders don't announce shamelessly that they will wear garlands only made of currency notes, like Mayawati did," he said angrily.
--
.Arun Khote
On behalf of
Dalits Media Watch Team
(An initiative of "Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre-PMARC")
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Peoples Media Advocacy & Resource Centre- PMARC has been initiated with the support from group of senior journalists, social activists, academics and intellectuals from Dalit and civil society to advocate and facilitate Dalits issues in the mainstream media. To create proper & adequate space with the Dalit perspective in the mainstream media national/ International on Dalit issues is primary objective of the PMARC.
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